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Boofheads
When their English teacher sets an assignment to write a letter as Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, it gives Tom Sweeney the chance to prove that he is definitely not a boofhead. Getting inside a chick's mind isn't rocket science – he can "do the sensitive male thing" with the best of them. To prove his point, he becomes an agony aunt for his mum's new magazine, PINK. Using the pseudonym Carrie Edwards, he ropes in his best mates, Casey and Ed, to help execute his dastardly plan. But being Carrie Edwards is harder than it looks and the three amigos' lives begin to spiral out of control. Has it all come to an end for the Boofheads?
- GenresYoung Adult
Paperback
25 people want to read
About the author
Mo Johnson
9 books3 followersMo (Maureen) Johnson was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She met her Australian husband while teaching in Japan and moved to Sydney with him in 1991. She is lucky to live by the beach in spectacular Illawarra (NSW) with her husband, Pete, and son, Paddy, and their two dogs, Merlin and Scruffy. She couldn’t live without her Apple computers, her iPod, her crime-fiction collection, and her friendship with fellow authors Di Bates, Sandy Fussell, and Bill Condon, who give her great advice about her writing.
Mo loves staying in touch with her best friend, Auds, in Scotland, making short films, taking photographs, elephants, and people who throw back their heads to belly laugh, especially at themselves. Her phobias are flying, swimming pools, cockroaches, and people dressed in animal costumes. When she doodles, Mo draws snails and triangles and people on bicycles.
Mo loves staying in touch with her best friend, Auds, in Scotland, making short films, taking photographs, elephants, and people who throw back their heads to belly laugh, especially at themselves. Her phobias are flying, swimming pools, cockroaches, and people dressed in animal costumes. When she doodles, Mo draws snails and triangles and people on bicycles.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 25, 2012
a very funny book with some inappropriate bits i thought for younger readers.
March 9, 2009
Boofheads was another book that I chose based on the cover. Not because it was pretty (like Finding Darcy, Something Beautiful) but because the title made me chuckle. I do have to admit to liking the cover though, Australian cover artists are a pretty gifted lot.
I had no expectations from this book other than reading a novel by an Australian (via Scotland) author. What grabbed me, besides the name, was that the novel centred on three Aussie boys who have been long time friends. A male perspective in a contemporary coming of age story isn’t something that is tremendously common in YA, although I argue that the pink covers aren’t as widespread as I sometimes whinge about either. But back to the book...
Tom, Casey and Ed have been peas in a pod since they were little tackers and now things are beginning to change. Casey’s being distant, Ed’s immersed in jockdom and Tom’s trying to make do. What I loved about this story is that it didn’t romanticise what boys talk about when they are together or even the language they use. This doesn’t mean that I encourage this colourful language but it is authentic. Teenage boys very rarely resemble the sparkly vampire that so many are acquainted with. They possess an amazing ability to forgive quickly, to make the wrong decisions based on a laugh and not actually talk about anything. But they can be amazingly supportive, resilient and insightful in amongst the grunts.
What I found was that this book covered some important issues in a completely authentic and earnest way. From Casey’s family issues, Ed’s pressure to conform and Tom’s need to be viewed as more, I really found myself involved in the story. Tom’s an engaging protagonist, he’s arguably got the easiest lot in life but he’s got a stronger sense of self. At one point his friends reveal that he wasn’t included in a particularly mean stunt as he’s “...a safety player” (aka someone with a sense of decency). One particular aspect of the story that I really liked were his interactions with his mother. Often a YA protagonist will have most of their interactions with the same gender parent (as is common in real life) but I enjoyed seeing Tom try and help his mother out while proving himself as more knowledgeable too. At one point he notes, “I...inhaled the familiar smell of her perfume. I felt like I was five again. I love how she can always make me feel that way.” He loves her and that’s apparent throughout the story and motivates some of his questionable decision making.
I got really angry at some of the characters by the end of the novel. But at no point did I believe that their actions weren’t understandable. One scene at a party, where Tom has a choice between doing the right thing or walking away uninjured, stayed with me. I am positive that this is a situation that many boys have been in, girls too and it stuck with me.
Mo Johnson has written a great book here. I was struck by the feedback the cover and summary received when I posted it as part of my ‘In My Mailbox’ entry over the weekend.
What I can say is though I bought it for shallow reasons; I came away with a better understanding of the problems teen boys face and a greater sense of hope in them as well. The themes in this book are organic ranging from family facades, single parents, sexual identify, lust and partying. I think it is interesting that for me that what I gravitated towards the most was the relationship between a working mother and her not-so-clueless son.
If you want a book with a great sense of humour, interesting Aussie-isms, authentic teen male characterisation and a great read then this book is worth checking out.
I had no expectations from this book other than reading a novel by an Australian (via Scotland) author. What grabbed me, besides the name, was that the novel centred on three Aussie boys who have been long time friends. A male perspective in a contemporary coming of age story isn’t something that is tremendously common in YA, although I argue that the pink covers aren’t as widespread as I sometimes whinge about either. But back to the book...
Tom, Casey and Ed have been peas in a pod since they were little tackers and now things are beginning to change. Casey’s being distant, Ed’s immersed in jockdom and Tom’s trying to make do. What I loved about this story is that it didn’t romanticise what boys talk about when they are together or even the language they use. This doesn’t mean that I encourage this colourful language but it is authentic. Teenage boys very rarely resemble the sparkly vampire that so many are acquainted with. They possess an amazing ability to forgive quickly, to make the wrong decisions based on a laugh and not actually talk about anything. But they can be amazingly supportive, resilient and insightful in amongst the grunts.
What I found was that this book covered some important issues in a completely authentic and earnest way. From Casey’s family issues, Ed’s pressure to conform and Tom’s need to be viewed as more, I really found myself involved in the story. Tom’s an engaging protagonist, he’s arguably got the easiest lot in life but he’s got a stronger sense of self. At one point his friends reveal that he wasn’t included in a particularly mean stunt as he’s “...a safety player” (aka someone with a sense of decency). One particular aspect of the story that I really liked were his interactions with his mother. Often a YA protagonist will have most of their interactions with the same gender parent (as is common in real life) but I enjoyed seeing Tom try and help his mother out while proving himself as more knowledgeable too. At one point he notes, “I...inhaled the familiar smell of her perfume. I felt like I was five again. I love how she can always make me feel that way.” He loves her and that’s apparent throughout the story and motivates some of his questionable decision making.
I got really angry at some of the characters by the end of the novel. But at no point did I believe that their actions weren’t understandable. One scene at a party, where Tom has a choice between doing the right thing or walking away uninjured, stayed with me. I am positive that this is a situation that many boys have been in, girls too and it stuck with me.
Mo Johnson has written a great book here. I was struck by the feedback the cover and summary received when I posted it as part of my ‘In My Mailbox’ entry over the weekend.
What I can say is though I bought it for shallow reasons; I came away with a better understanding of the problems teen boys face and a greater sense of hope in them as well. The themes in this book are organic ranging from family facades, single parents, sexual identify, lust and partying. I think it is interesting that for me that what I gravitated towards the most was the relationship between a working mother and her not-so-clueless son.
If you want a book with a great sense of humour, interesting Aussie-isms, authentic teen male characterisation and a great read then this book is worth checking out.
February 12, 2015
The greatset book i could possibly read, i recommend it to everyone i know
August 13, 2012
This book will be a best selling book in the future. It is one of the best describing books so far which i have read with the hunger games. Your temtation level to keepon reading the whole book in one go is above the max level, you can not stop reading it liturally.Once i read the first page in this book i new it is the one to read, what a shame theres no serious to nread another book.
Tommo is the main character, he's muscular tanned with blue eyes and lives in some location in New south wales which hasn't been released in the book.He has two best mates ed and casey both live in a 12 mile radius of each other and both go to the same school, in the same classes. Everyone hates maths plus the maths teacher. But thats going pretty good at the moment, english is what he is worrying about. He has to do a piece of persuasive writing a love letter to flattern the opposite sex. One of his worse enemies some one who always wins the argue infront of the class by defolt,god help him what would you do if you was in his shoes. He also has a mum who designs a fashion magazine Pink and has to write for it because his mums writer died. The only thing is his mum dousent no think of all the stress which he will have to go through to keep an average life up.
I would recommend this book for a twelve year old boy who is int foooty and surfing and dramatis dramas or above
Tommo is the main character, he's muscular tanned with blue eyes and lives in some location in New south wales which hasn't been released in the book.He has two best mates ed and casey both live in a 12 mile radius of each other and both go to the same school, in the same classes. Everyone hates maths plus the maths teacher. But thats going pretty good at the moment, english is what he is worrying about. He has to do a piece of persuasive writing a love letter to flattern the opposite sex. One of his worse enemies some one who always wins the argue infront of the class by defolt,god help him what would you do if you was in his shoes. He also has a mum who designs a fashion magazine Pink and has to write for it because his mums writer died. The only thing is his mum dousent no think of all the stress which he will have to go through to keep an average life up.
I would recommend this book for a twelve year old boy who is int foooty and surfing and dramatis dramas or above
January 29, 2011
Great look at the friendship between a group of teen boys. Some great laugh out loud moments.
October 3, 2012
This was a funny book it was a bit inappropriate at times but it was a good read
February 12, 2015
Simply amazing!!
July 20, 2017
absolutely incredible, gets my nickolodeons kid's choice award 10/10
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews